Crowds gather for eighth Mavericks surfing invitational

PRINCETON-BY-THE-SEA -- Ed and Karen Wickman scrambled up the crumbly cliffs of Pillar Point in the pre-dawn darkness Sunday just to get a glimpse of the Bay Area surfing spectacle known as Mavericks.

"I've been waiting 12 years for this," said Ed, who with his wife lives in the Sierra foothills.

The Wickmans were among the few to sneak into a restricted area by the beach because they arrived before authorities, who blocked most curiosity seekers from going to the beach and bluffs overlooking the iconic surf break.

The eighth edition of the surfing invitational started with a lot more flash than power. The giant waves predicted to arrive by Sunday were late to the party as the big-wave riders scrambled to catch the few beauties to crash into the rocky reef more than a half-mile from shore.

It didn't matter to Wickman, an executive chef for a casino in Jackson. He could not have been happier to make the long trek to the beach.

"Call it an oceanic experience," he said after carefully walking down the sheer bluff above the beach. "To see a surfer catch that wave, wow. The rest is just extra."

Added Karen Wickman: "It's mostly disappointing for the guys."

Because of inconsistent conditions in the morning heats contest organizers had to briefly postpone the contest as it reached the third of four opening-round heats. Kelly Slater, the world's most decorated surfing champion, withdrew a day before the start.

It is expected to take the whole day to finish as thousands of surfing enthusiasts converged at the harbor to watch the event on a big screen.

Because of environmental and safety concerns government officials prohibited spectators from watching the event live for the first time since the contest's debut in 1999.

The contest wasn't even held the past two years because of less-than-satisfactory conditions. But with the major motion picture "Chasing Mavericks" released in the fall organizers were hoping to have ideal circumstances this season.

It takes moving heaven and earth to produce the perfect conditions to hold the contest that features some of the bravest men alive. The break at Mavericks doesn't unleash its fury until waves reach at least 25 feet.

It all begins with a droplet of water thousands of miles away in the Gulf of Alaska. It's a hint of energy that builds into an unmerciful blitzkrieg of water smashing into the Bay Area coastline. Nowhere is the assault more direct than at Pillar Point where surfing's elite assembled with hopes of challenging three-storey waterfalls.

These sequoias of the sea bless the sacred surfing ground just north of Half Moon Bay because of Mavericks' location and ocean floor. The swells form waves that rise to heights of 30 feet when shoaling on the rock-strewn bottom known as the "boneyard."

Surfers drop into the freight-train waves knowing the slightest hesitation could lead to bodily harm and in rare instances death.

But all they wanted Sunday was a chance to make the elevator drop. The contestants were hoping for the best by early afternoon.